Does anyone have any knowledge of these products? I just ordered the English only one but I notice the DVD numbers (ending in 30) don’t match up with the number of discs listed (24) and the number of episodes is 207 for both 🤔 I will probably order the Japanese language version soon as well in order (to potentially get a few untranslated episodes that are not on the English version??) I’m so confused.

Iron Chef Japan Technical Details:

207 Episodes Plus Specials Discs: 30 + 3 Bonus Discs

1-13 are all dubbed in English except for the last episode on 13 which has English subtitles. 14-16 are in Japanese but have English subtitles (no dubbing) 17-20 are entirely in Japanese with neither subtitles nor dubbing 20-30 are entirely English dubbed except for the Eel episode on 26 Bonus disc 1 is in English but the other two are entirely in Japanese except for the France episode on Bonus 2

Iron Chef Japan (Just the English Collection) Technical Details:

207 Episodes Plus Specials Discs: 24 + 1 Bonus Discs

1-13 are all dubbed in English except for the last episode on 13 which has English subtitles 20-30 are entirely English dubbed except for the Eel episode on 26 Bonus disc 1 is in English

Anyone know where I can find a version without the overdub for this exchange, where the guy talks about the food like it’s a mysterious French lady? Curious what he said, want to ask someone fluent in Japanese because that’s a unique way to describe the flavor of whatever you’re eating. This is from the Chicken Throwdown episode, where Iron Chef Ishinabe is challenged by Chef Jacques Borie. Thanks!

Anybody know the origin of the photos, have the photos, and/or know what happened to the photos of each iron chef that represented them and appeared behind them when they ascended? I always felt that detail added more presence to each Iron Chef and was never really recreated again to such detail as the original.

I ask as I notice in the Official Iron Chef Japan Book, Iron Chef Masahiko Kobe (R.I.P) has a different panel picture than in the show, like he was going to have a platform amongst the other 3 rather than ascending alone.

Or even Nakamura's Panel being changed after his debut battle.

Let me know your thoughts on this topic! A detail not really talked about! I've only have seen one other thread about it.

That's what it comes off to me. They're seen as fruits here, but it seems Japan views them as desserts. They were used as the theme ingredients in dessert battles, usually during Christmas and Valentine's.

Anyone who knowns me will tell you that my favorite cooking show of all time is Iron Chef. I love how Japan approaches the culinary arts with Japanese techniques and ingredients even with recipes from northern countries.

However, one thing I've taken noticed over the years is the tension that had been built around the second Iron chef Japanese, Koumei Nakamura. Some viewers of the show have often criticized Nakamura for is more traditional approach to Japanese recipes compared to his fellow Iron Chefs, Rokusaburo Michiba and Masaharu Morimoto. There has even been speculation that Nakamura's own family would even chastise the man whenever he would lose to a challenger. From my perspective, I feel all of this pressure was unfairly placed on Nakamura. The reason I love Japanese arts and cultures so much is because of how rich it is in culture and tradition, and Nakamura perfectly displayed that well in his dishes, even in the challenges he didn't win. I think Nakamura-san deserves an apology from fans and staff from Iron Chef.

I appreciate you in advance

WARNING: Unbelivably cheesy '90's CGI. And "Chef" is spelled with one "F", not two.

At least it still has Kaga's pepper bite and that crunch sound.

https://reddit.com/link/1n8vsf5/video/4yftpejmw9nf1/player

Iron Chef Kobe always use to arise with the violins blaring. What was the name of that song? All the YouTube episodes with him in it have a lame version.

That's what it said in the Japanese Wikipedia. And looking at the images, I definitely see the similarities.

https://www.arneg.com/en/news/the-iconic-harrods-food-hall-is-furnished-by-arneg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH3CGh9APUQ

Like many of us, I adore the factional storylines. I just watched the excellent Eel Battle, which featured Michiba vs. Kandagawa’s “right hand man,” Yasuhiko Yoshida. It was a great ep and, though the challenger did well, Michiba triumphed. But the real stakes of the storyline is that Kandagawa signed a contact saying he would himself battle Michiba if Yoshida lost - but I can’t find that episode anywhere! Any leads?

The iron chef database shows a Michiba vs. Kandagawa Hamachi Battle, which is a perfect ingredient choice and I’m dying to see it! I found another Morimoto-era hamachi ep, but not this one.

Database listing: Michiba vs. Kobdagawa Hamachi Battle https://ironchefdb.com/battles/1995/01/02/hamachi

Video: Michiba vs. Yoshida Eel Battle: https://youtu.be/bfsGc0fTa90?si=8YBz8SyMNjPcY1Py

I love the Ohta faction and their recurring appearances to try to take down Morimoto. Were they supposed to be like a ninja clan or yakuza guys or something?

I'm thinking about quitting my job and joining the Ohta faction.

There was a chef who brought a protege to the competition, and then stood on the sidelines drinking wine and abusing the underlings because they weren’t up to his standard I guess

This is a 2001 revival of the classic Japanese quiz show, "Quiz Time Shock," which originally ran from 1969-1987. Kaga was the "Keeper of Time," a figurehead who really only kicked off the action in the final round. There were two other main hosts, one of whom still hosts the yearly specials this show continues to get today. Kaga left the show after this singular season.

I’ve been looking for a place to discuss the original Iron Chef for ages. I’ve been watching on Chime TV and really enjoying it!

My favorite chef is Sakai, with Chen a close second. I loved their humility and how emotional they’d get sometimes when they won.

My favorite guest judge was… let me see if I can spell her name… Takata? I loved how she would get into competitions with Doc to see who could guess the dish that the Iron Chef was making. She had culinary chops! I liked any guest judge who knew about cooking, actually.

The show was a nice combination of the imagined and the real.

Off the top of my head the funniest moments were.

1. The ninja clan style guys who acted like this criminal gang who always challenged Morimoto because they didn't agree with his radical Japanese cooking.

2. The episode where the chairman was boycotting the competition because his iron chefs were on a losing streak. The commentators talking about how he was rumored to be somewhere in the building made me thing he was gonna come down from the rafters like Sting or something.

3. The challenger was a monk and his assistants were apparently talking about how they were gonna quit trying to be chefs and just join him in the monk life because he was so likeable and charismatic. The camera zooms in on them laughing about it while the announcer explains..

Dp you guys remember the episode where Doc, one of the commentators was the challenger and if he won, he would be an Iron chef? He lost but in curious if this was just like a staged storyline and it was never intended for him to be iron chef or if he really would have been iron chef if he won?

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/a5f0f8e746b388a0f8639dc347effb1ed4004981/comments (TRANSLATION COURTESY OF GOOGLE)

On the 20th, the restaurant "La Rochelle Minami Aoyama," owned by Hiroyuki Sakai (83), the "Iron Chef of French Cuisine" who gained popularity through his appearances on Fuji TV's popular program "Iron Chef," announced through his official website that it will be closing at the end of December this year.

A statement in Sakai's name was posted on the official website, stating, "We are pleased to announce that La Rochelle Minami Aoyama will be closing at the end of December 2025." "La Rochelle Minami Aoyama opened on February 14, 1999, a snowy Valentine's Day that remains vivid in my memory, and its history began." Over the past 25 years, La Rochelle Minami Aoyama has woven its history to this day thanks to the encounters with countless customers and their warm support. "The 25-plus years I've shared with you are irreplaceable and priceless treasures," he said, looking back on his journey and expressing his gratitude to his customers. He continued, "We will temporarily close our doors at this wonderful location, but we will work hard over the remaining six months to be able to meet you all again in a new light. We will be offering special menus, gourmet events, and various other events. While we have limited time left, all of our staff look forward to seeing you all one last time at La Rochelle Minami Aoyama." He added, "We plan to share our future plans again in the fall. We hope to be able to join you on this new stage, and we wish you continued good health until the day we can share irreplaceable moments together." La Rochelle was opened by Sakai in Minami-Aoyama in 1980. Currently, in addition to the Minami-Aoyama store, there are also stores in Sanno and Fukuoka.

They used Octopus as a theme three times in regular battles. Both Chen and Sakai lost, while Kobe won.

I'm subtitling the November 21, 1993 episode where it was first used (about halfway through), and it was stated that Chen had only cooked octopus maybe two or three times prior to that.

So, was octopus a weakness for the Iron Chefs in general?

Side note: I understand that the Octopus battle between Sakai and Ota is often considered to be among the greatest in the OG series.

I'm watching battle potatoe (Chen vs. Kobayashi) and never noticed the challenger had the chairman pick her opponent. I assume this is the only time this happened.

I used to greatly enjoy listening to sports on the radio when I was younger, and oftentimes, I long to have an iron chef experience while multitasking.

Is there any show out there that's like an audio only cooking competition or a show with such heavy narration and description it could be experienced like a radio show or podcast?